Into the Wild Spaces - Mauritiushttp://therandymon.com/
by Randall WoodenSerendipity 1.7.8 - http://www.s9y.org/Wed, 03 Sep 2014 16:59:15 GMThttp://therandymon.com/templates/default/img/s9y_banner_small.pngRSS: Into the Wild Spaces - Mauritius - by Randall Woodhttp://therandymon.com/
10021Mauritius: 8 Reasons I love this islandhttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/20-Mauritius-8-Reasons-I-love-this-island.html
Mauritiushttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/20-Mauritius-8-Reasons-I-love-this-island.html#commentshttp://therandymon.com/wfwcomment.php?cid=200http://therandymon.com/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=20nospam@example.com (Randall Wood)
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<p>Mauritius is a lovely place, and impressive too. Yes it's a tropical
paradise of sorts, with stunning beaches and long, arching turquoise
bays, and acres of coral beach sand. But those aren't the reasons I
found it a compelling and interesting place to visit, and an example
of a society that seems to be getting things right. Here are my reasons: <br /><a href="http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/20-Mauritius-8-Reasons-I-love-this-island.html#extended">Continue reading "Mauritius: 8 Reasons I love this island"</a>
Thu, 16 Dec 2010 07:56:26 +0000http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/20-guid.htmlMauritius: La Preneusehttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/19-Mauritius-La-Preneuse.html
Mauritiushttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/19-Mauritius-La-Preneuse.html#commentshttp://therandymon.com/wfwcomment.php?cid=190http://therandymon.com/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=19nospam@example.com (Randall Wood)
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<p>Flic en Flac, the epicenter of Mauritian tourism on the west coast,
benefits from a long, broad coral lagoon, and a wide beach lined with
pines (and ice cream/sandwich wagons!). But the town lacked the
shady canopy I'd appreciated in Mahebourg and <a href="http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/15-Mauritius-Shades-of-Turquoise-on-Blue-Bay.html">Blue Bay</a>, and seemed
well on its way to becoming the next Miami Beach.
<p>Far better, and
just a couple of kilometers south along the coast, was La Preneuse.
Named for a French warship, the sandy beach was decorated with a
couple of remaining cannons, and a thick, stone tower sat just behind
the fringe of trees &ndash; both relics of a naval era of centuries
past. <br /><a href="http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/19-Mauritius-La-Preneuse.html#extended">Continue reading "Mauritius: La Preneuse"</a>
Thu, 16 Dec 2010 07:47:32 +0000http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/19-guid.htmlCap Malheureuxhttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/18-Cap-Malheureux.html
Mauritiushttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/18-Cap-Malheureux.html#commentshttp://therandymon.com/wfwcomment.php?cid=180http://therandymon.com/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=18nospam@example.com (Randall Wood)
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<p>Mauritius' generally round profile is pinned by two geographical
features at its northern and southern extremes. In the south, it's
the massive Morne Brabant, a Cambrian volcanic door stop joined to the
rest of the island by a flat, fertile plain like earthen meltwater
spilling from the sides of an ice cube. Its imposing, 250m high shape
commands the eye from the horizon, and its profile is the iconic view
of Mauritius, with tropical seas breaking around it on foamy reefs.
<P>At the north end, we visited Cap Malheureux, the &quot;Cape
of Disgrace&quot;, witness to an untold number of shipwrecks during the age
of Napoleon<sup>1</sup>. The bay was jammed with pleasure boats, mostly for
nearshore fishing, none of which seemed overly unlucky to me, and in
the channel before the immense offshore islet called Coin de Mire
(&quot;the Gunner's Quoin [sight]&quot;)a red-sailed dhow zipped across the
wind, a sudden reminder we were <a href="http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/28-By-Dhow-Along-the-Zanzibar-Coast.html">again</a> traveling in the Indian Ocean.
<br /><a href="http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/18-Cap-Malheureux.html#extended">Continue reading "Cap Malheureux"</a>
Thu, 16 Dec 2010 07:43:50 +0000http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/18-guid.htmlThe Crab Eating (Long Tailed) Macaquehttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/17-The-Crab-Eating-Long-Tailed-Macaque.html
Mauritiushttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/17-The-Crab-Eating-Long-Tailed-Macaque.html#commentshttp://therandymon.com/wfwcomment.php?cid=170http://therandymon.com/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=17nospam@example.com (Randall Wood)
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<p>We'd driven away from the coast line into the
Black River Gorges National Wildlife Reserve, and were enjoying the
sounds of the forest. Down dropped this little guy, browsing around
for food. Then he got spooked, and climbed back up to the safety of a
nearby branch, posing long enough for me to get this shot.
<br /><a href="http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/17-The-Crab-Eating-Long-Tailed-Macaque.html#extended">Continue reading "The Crab Eating (Long Tailed) Macaque"</a>
Thu, 16 Dec 2010 07:37:27 +0000http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/17-guid.htmlThe Mauritian Highlandshttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/16-The-Mauritian-Highlands.html
Mauritiushttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/16-The-Mauritian-Highlands.html#commentshttp://therandymon.com/wfwcomment.php?cid=160http://therandymon.com/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=16nospam@example.com (Randall Wood)
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<P>The unappreciated jewels of tropical islands are their highlands,
away from the reefs and the crowds, where the breeze turns cool and
the only sound is the call of the birds. Twice we ventured upward,
regretful that this wouldn't be the trip where I get to hike into deep
wilderness with compass and backpack.
<P>The first was to the Le Val Nature Park wilderness northwest of Lion Mountain.
We crossed a few stream beds where the water must run several
meters deep during rain storms; dark volcanic rubble polished round
and smooth by the running water glistened in the afternoon sun, but
for now they were dry. From the hilltop (300m) the view was
outstanding: green and rumpled, as far as the eye could see. <br /><a href="http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/16-The-Mauritian-Highlands.html#extended">Continue reading "The Mauritian Highlands"</a>
Thu, 16 Dec 2010 07:21:53 +0000http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/16-guid.htmlMauritius: Shades of Turquoise on Blue Bayhttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/15-Mauritius-Shades-of-Turquoise-on-Blue-Bay.html
Mauritiushttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/15-Mauritius-Shades-of-Turquoise-on-Blue-Bay.html#commentshttp://therandymon.com/wfwcomment.php?cid=150http://therandymon.com/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=15nospam@example.com (Randall Wood)
<!-- s9ymdb:166 --><img class="serendipity_image_left" width="450" height="338" src="http://therandymon.com/uploads/africa_images/mauritius_images/DSC00485.jpg" alt="Blue Bay, Mauritius" />
<p>On some trips the winds blow so strongly against you it's tempting to
believe destiny is not on your side. So began our trip to Mauritius,
with forgotten luggage, visa troubles, and hotel reservation issues.
Was it a sign we should abandon the trip? No: before long the snafus
were behind us and we were digging our toes into the sandy coastline
of one of Earth's most exotic south sea islands: Mauritius.
<p>We spent our first few nights in the southeast, on Blue Bay, named for
obvious reasons but so truly deserving of the name. An enormous
stretch of coral reef we'd admired even from our descending plane
arches boldly out from the shore, embracing a small, wooded islet and
a shallow bay steeped in a myriad shades of blue. A shallow channel
brought in the rising tide from somewhere behind the islet, and well
beyond that, against the ramparts of coral, thumping waves from the
South Indian Ocean sent mares' tails of sea foam flying towards shore. <br /><a href="http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/15-Mauritius-Shades-of-Turquoise-on-Blue-Bay.html#extended">Continue reading "Mauritius: Shades of Turquoise on Blue Bay"</a>
Thu, 16 Dec 2010 07:13:38 +0000http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/15-guid.html